Star quarterback Dak Prescott has been sidelined since the first week of the season when he injured his hand during the closing minutes of the season-opening loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While Prescott is set to return to practice for the Dallas Cowboys this week, he needs to prove one major thing before he’s able to return to the starting lineup.
According to team owner and general manager Jerry Jones, when Prescott returns to practice this week, he’ll have to show the coaching staff that he can grip the ball and throw it with velocity.
“Well, let’s just put it like this: He’s got to spin the ball. He’s got to really spin the ball,” Jones said on his weekly radio show on 105.3 The Fan, according to Pro Football Talk “Just think about it: Put your hand down on something like what would be equivalent of a football. Try to do that without thumb strength. Try to spin that ball. Try to direct that ball without thumb strength if you really have a broken thumb. Can’t do it. But if you have strength and can grip the ball, then you can spin the ball.”
Jones said Prescott will begin throwing on Wednesday and that his ability to spin the ball and throw it with velocity will determine when Prescott will be able to return.
“Can he zip the ball out there and make the throw? We’ll start working on that Wednesday real hard,” Jones said. “He’s certainly doing the kinds of things medically that you want to do. That is the indication. The X-rays, all of that, have [shown] tremendous improvement. But can he spin the ball?
With Prescott out, backup quarterback Cooper Rush has led the team to five consecutive victories, prompting one prominent Cowboys icon to suggest that Rush should remain the team’s starter even once Prescott returns from his injury. But Jones has made it clear that despite Rush’s success, Prescott is still the team’s starter.
